Chapter 6

The word hung in the air between them, heavy and suffocating.

Cassidy stared at him, her brain struggling to process. Then, anger flared, hot and bright, cutting through the fear.

"Is this another part of your revenge?" she scoffed, pushing at his chest again. "Punishing me for Burt?"

Jaret shook his head slowly. His eyes roamed over her face, down her neck, lingering on the rapid pulse at the base of her throat.

"Punishing that coward is boring," he murmured. "It lacks... creativity."

He reached up, his long fingers tracing the line of her jaw before tipping her chin up. His touch was different tonight-not just brutal, but possessive, almost admiring.

Cassidy slapped his hand away. "I am not a toy for you to play with."

Jaret's smile didn't falter. He turned and walked over to the coffee table, picking up a thick manila folder. He tossed it onto the glass surface in front of her.

Cassidy looked down. The label on the folder read GreenTech - Series A Term Sheet.

Her heart skipped a beat. She opened it, scanning the first page. It was a fully executed investment intent letter, with a staggering amount of money listed. The only blank space was the signature line at the bottom.

"Spend the weekend with me," Jaret said, his voice cutting through her shock. "Sign this on Monday."

Cassidy stared at the paper. It was the lifeline she had been desperately searching for all night. It was the salvation of her company, her job, her future.

Her fingers curled into the fabric of her dress, her knuckles turning white. The internal war raged inside her, tearing her apart.

Jaret watched her struggle, his eyes narrowing. He stepped closer, his voice turning to ice.

"Look at you. You're drowning. You're about to lose your job, your apartment, your reputation. You can't even afford the dress on your back."

Each word was a scalpel, slicing away her armor, exposing the raw, ugly truth of her existence.

Cassidy bit her lip so hard she tasted copper. Her eyes burned, but she forced the tears back. She looked up at him, her jaw set, and shook her head.

"No," she said, her voice firm. "I won't sell myself to you."

Jaret didn't look surprised. He pulled his phone from his pocket, tapping the screen a few times before turning it toward her.

It was a live feed. Downstairs in the bar, Meredith was sitting across from Kade, laughing and clinking glasses. She looked thrilled, completely oblivious to the trap.

"One word from me," Jaret said, his tone casual, "and that meeting ends. And it won't just end. I will make sure you are blacklisted from every firm on Wall Street. You will never work in this city again."

Cassidy stared at the screen. It wasn't just her life on the line. It was the livelihood of her team, the people who depended on her.

"You can't just force someone to be with you," she argued, her voice desperate. "I hate you. This is insane."

Jaret let out a low, dark laugh. "I don't care if you hate me. I just need you to be there."

The admission sent a chill down her spine. This wasn't about Burt anymore. This was something far more twisted. Jaret Taylor was obsessed.

She backed away until her shoulders hit the cold glass of the window. There was nowhere left to run.

Jaret closed the distance, planting both hands on the glass on either side of her head, trapping her in a cage of muscle and fury.

"I'm done negotiating," he said, his voice a low growl. "You are staying. The only question is whether it's by your choice or by force."

Cassidy closed her eyes. She saw the faces of her coworkers. She saw the past-due notices on her desk. She saw the eviction notice on her door.

But then she saw the torn check on the floor of the penthouse. She felt the bruising grip on her neck. If she said yes now, she would be signing away her soul.

She opened her eyes, a fierce determination burning through the fear. She shoved Jaret backward with all her strength.

"No!" she shouted.

She spun toward the door, her hand outstretched for the handle.

Jaret was faster. He didn't grab her hair. He stepped sideways and caught her wrist, using her own momentum to yank her off balance. She stumbled, her shoulder hitting the wall hard, and before she could recover, he had her pinned-one hand flat against the wall beside her head, his body blocking her only exit.

"Every time you run," he said, his voice dangerously quiet, "I will take something you care about. Test me again."

The civilized billionaire was gone. In his place stood a predator whose patience had finally run out.

He didn't give her another ultimatum. He didn't offer another deal.

He hauled her up by the arm, dragging her toward the bedroom door.

Cassidy fought back, her nails scratching at his hand, her feet kicking at the carpet. She reached out, her fingers finding the doorframe, gripping it with everything she had.

"Let me go!" she screamed, her voice hoarse with terror.

But Jaret was immovable. He pulled harder, her grip slipping against the polished wood. She was a leaf caught in a hurricane, about to be swept into the abyss.